Pelicans looking like clear winner of Anthony Davis deal

Los Angeles hosts New Orleans tonight and the game could show just how big the gap is between the two franchises while putting a stamp on who won the Anthony Davis trade.

When Davis got his wish and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was supposed to bring excitement to an organization with a generational talent. The trade certainly did that... for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Los Angeles won its 17th NBA championship in 2020 with LeBron James and Davis, after the NBA restarted in the bubble of Orlando. With it being an optional tournament, that championship hits differently than one that would have been won under normal circumstances.

The Lakers (1-5, 14th in Western Conference) didn't sell its future for a championship at Epcot. The Davis trade was supposed to return the team to its glory days. It has instead reminded fans just how far this iteration of the Lakers is from dynasties led by Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.

James has played in his fewest playoff games (27) over a four-year span in his career. Not even the Cavaliers in his first run with the organization wasted James' talents so badly.

If the Lakers lose tonight, they'll be 1-6. The season is a marathon, not a sprint, but Los Angeles hasn't even left the starting gate.

The New Orleans Pelicans (4-2, fifth in Western Conference) are thriving. Sports Illustrated named them the most exciting team in basketball before the season. 

In exchange for Davis, the Pelicans received point guard Lonzo Ball, forwards Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, as well as the Lakers' 2019 and 2022 first-round picks, the right to swap picks in the upcoming 2023 draft as well as an additional first-round pick in either 2024 or 2025, per The Sporting News.

Ingram won Most Improved Player after the 2019-20 season and is averaging 23.4 points on 46.5 percent shooting with the New Orleans Pelicans, per data from NBA.com.

Hart became a fan favorite in New Orleans, and he was enough of an asset to be a sticking point in the team's trade for guard C.J. McCollum.

The team exchanged Ball for guard Devonte Graham in separate sign-and-trade deals. per NBA.com. That hasn't necessarily been a great swap, but with Ball's unfortunate injury issues it's looking like the team made the right move by moving on from him.

Plus, Graham will always be fondly remembered in New Orleans for this amazing play last December.